Textile Products Comprising Natural Down and Fibrous Materials

ABSTRACT

A textile product and a method for manufacturing thereof are discussed. The textile product comprises about 5-95% natural down clusters by weight and about 95-5% of a secondary fiber material by weight. The method for manufacturing the textile product includes opening a fiber material, adding natural down clusters to the fiber material, mixing the fiber material with the natural down clusters to form a homogeneous mixture, and filling the textile product with the homogeneous mixture.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority toPCT/US2017/037235, filed on Jun. 13, 2017, entitled “TEXTILE PRODUCTSCOMPRISING NATURAL DOWNS AND FIBROUS MATERIALS” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety to this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments relate to textile products including natural downclusters and natural or synthetic fibers, and methods for manufacturingthereof.

BACKGROUND

There have been many attempts to achieve an insulating material havingdown-like qualities for use in insulating articles such as clothing,sleeping bags, comforters, and the like. Prior efforts to develop afeasible material have most often yielded those that are too heavy anddense to be considered down-like, and/or are difficult to blow throughconventional equipment.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,635 to Donovan discloses a syntheticdown and has particular reference to light-weight thermal insulationsystems which can be achieved by the use of fine fibers in low densityassemblies and describes a range of fiber mixtures, that, when used tofabricate an insulating batt, provides advantageous, down-like qualitiessuch as a high warmth-to-weight ratio, a soft hand, and good compressionrecovery. This material approaches, and in some cases might even exceedthe thermal insulating properties of natural down. From a mechanicalstandpoint, however extremely fine fibers suffer from deficiencies ofrigidity and strength that make them difficult to produce, manipulateand use. Recovery properties of such a synthetic insulator material areenhanced by larger fiber diameters, but an increase in the large fibercomponent will seriously reduce the thermal insulating propertiesoverall. The problems associated with mechanical stability of fine fiberassemblies are exacerbated in the wet condition since surface tensionforces associated with the presence of capillary water are considerablygreater than those due to gravitational forces or other normal useloading and they have a much more deleterious effect on the structure.However, unlike waterfowl down, the fiber combination described inDonovan provides good resistance to wetting.

Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,327 to Donovan et al. whichdiscloses the use of binder fiber components to improve insulatorintegrity without compromising desired attributes. More specifically theinvention disclosed therein relates to synthetic fiber thermal insulatormaterial in the form of a cohesive fiber structure, which structurecomprises an assemblage of: (a) from 70 to 95 weight percent ofsynthetic polymeric microfibers having a diameter of from 3 to 12microns; and (b) from 5 to 30 weight percent of synthetic polymericmacrofibers having a diameter of 12 to 50 microns, characterized in thatat least some of the fibers are bonded at their contact points, thebonding being such that the density of the resultant structure is withinthe range 3 to 16 kg/m³, the thermal insulating properties of the bondedassemblage being equal to or not substantially less than the thermalinsulating properties of a comparable unbonded assemblage. The referencealso describes a down-like cluster form of the preferred fiber blends.The distinct performance advantages of the cluster form over the battform are also disclosed in the patent.

Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,051 described blowable clustersmade from shredded bonded batt or bonded web. The web or batt wasdescribed as the same fiber blend described in the '327 patent toDonovan. By shredding the batt or web formed of the materials describedin the '327 patent the clusters were found to achieve down-likequalities including loft and insulating properties. Such clusters, in anadmixture with natural material, is described in U.S. Pat. No.6,329,052. It should be noted that the disclosure of the aforementionedpatents are incorporated fully herein by reference.

While the above mentioned blowable insulation materials are easilyblowable with conventional blowers and can be used as a partial or fullreplacement for down or down-like insulative materials, they, however,have problems associated with weight and laundrability when not usedproperly. These materials could get wet during laundering and canpermanently lose their insulative properties due to clumping. Moreover,the blowable insulation clusters of the '051 and '052 patentsincorporate only synthetic fibers.

While some or all of the foregoing references have certain attendantadvantages, further improvements and/or alternative forms, is alwaysdesirable.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, one example embodiment is a textile product including about5-95% natural down clusters by weight and about 95-5% of a fibermaterial by weight. The fiber material may include at least one ofpolyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene.The specific gravity of the fiber material may be within 45% of thespecific gravity of the natural down clusters. The textile product maybe a pillow, a comforter, a mattress pad, a jacket, or a sleeping bag.The fiber material may include at least one of natural, synthetic, andregenerated fiber material. The synthetic fiber material may includerecycled fibers. The natural down clusters may include at least one ofwhite and grey down. The natural down clusters may include 10-90% animalfeather by weight. The natural down clusters may have a fill power of500 of more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, oralternatively 800 or more. For the mixture to be truly homogenous,however, down must be carefully selected. In some embodiments, down withcling is preferred, and higher the cling, the better the mixture andhigher the loft. Cling may be found when tiny hooks develop on thefilaments of a down cluster. These hooks catch other down clusters tomake a more even layer of insulation, and as large pockets of air arefilled in and eliminated, the insulating power goes up. A down with alot of cling may also stay in place on top of the sleeper, rather thanshifting to the lowest parts of a duvets chamber.

Another example embodiment is a method for manufacturing a textileproduct. The method may include opening a fiber material, adding naturaldown clusters to the fiber material, mixing the fiber material with thenatural down clusters to form a homogeneous mixture, and filling thetextile product with the homogeneous mixture. The specific gravity ofthe fiber material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of thenatural down clusters. The method may also include cutting the fibermaterial to a predetermined length prior to mixing the fiber materialwith the natural down clusters, wherein the predetermined length isdetermined based on the diameter of the natural down clusters. Theadding step may further include adding about 5-95% natural down clustersby weight to about 95-5% of the fiber material by weight. The fibermaterial may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon,cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene. The specific gravity of thefiber material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of the naturaldown clusters. The textile product may be a pillow, a comforter, amattress pad, a jacket, or a sleeping bag. The fiber material mayinclude at least one of natural, synthetic, and regenerated fibermaterial. The synthetic fiber material may include recycled fibers. Thenatural down clusters may include at least one of white and grey down.The natural down clusters may include 10-90% animal feather by weight.The natural down clusters may have a fill power of 500 of more,alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively800 or more. For the mixture to be truly homogenous, however, down mustbe carefully selected. In some embodiments, down with cling ispreferred, and higher the cling, the better the mixture and higher theloft. Cling may be found when tiny hooks develop on the filaments of adown cluster. These hooks catch other down clusters to make a more evenlayer of insulation, and as large pockets of air are filled in andeliminated, the insulating power goes up. A down with a lot of cling mayalso stay in place on top of the sleeper, rather than shifting to thelowest parts of a duvets chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the features, advantages, and objects of theinvention are attained and can be understood in more detail, moreparticular description of the invention briefly summarized above may behad by reference to the embodiment thereof which is illustrated in theappended drawings, which drawings form a part of this specification. Itis to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only exampleembodiments of the invention and is therefore not to be consideredlimiting of its scope as the invention may admit to other equallyeffective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a textile product such as a pillow, according to oneor more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a textile product such as a mattress pad, accordingto one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a textile product such as a comforter, according toone or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates two types of natural down clusters that may be usedin a textile product, according to one or more example embodiments ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates different types of natural down clusters and downfeather that may be used in a textile product, according to one or moreexample embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates grey and white color natural down clusters that maybe used in a textile product, according to one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 7A-9F illustrate different types of fiber materials that may bemixed with natural down clusters to form a textile product, according toone or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing example steps involved in a method formanufacturing a textile product, according to one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a table comparing physical properties such as fill power anddrying rate of the material composition according to one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure with known materials.

FIG. 10 is a line graph comparing drying time of a textile productcomprising 100% natural down vs. a textile product comprising ahomogenous mixture of natural down clusters and fiber materials,according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The products and methods of the present disclosure will now be describedmore fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich embodiments are shown. The methods and products of the presentdisclosure may be in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a textile product 100such as a pillow, according to one or more example embodiments. FIG. 2illustrates a textile product 100 such as a mattress pad laid over amattress, according to one or more example embodiments of thedisclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates a textile product 100 such as acomforter, according to one or more example embodiments of thedisclosure.

In one or more example embodiments the textile product may include about5-95% by weight natural down clusters and about 95-5% by weight a fibermaterial. In some embodiments, the composition may preferably include5-50% natural down clusters by weight and 95-50% fiber material byweight. The fiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk,wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene. In someembodiments, the specific gravity of the fiber material may be within45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. In someembodiments, the fiber material may include at least one of natural,synthetic, and regenerated fiber material. The synthetic fiber material,for example, may include recycled fibers also. In some embodiments, thefiber material may be chosen depending on the down cluster diameter. Insome example embodiments, the synthetic fibers may be cut to desiredlength to achieve the required homogenous blend. The length may bedetermined based on the diameter of the natural down cluster, forexample. For the mixture to be truly homogenous, however, down must becarefully selected. In some embodiments, down with cling is preferred,and higher the cling, the better the mixture and higher the loft. Clingmay be found when tiny hooks develop on the filaments of a down cluster.These hooks catch other down clusters to make a more even layer ofinsulation, and as large pockets of air are filled in and eliminated,the insulating power goes up. A down with a lot of cling may also stayin place on top of the sleeper, rather than shifting to the lowest partsof a duvets chamber.

In some example embodiments, the natural down clusters may include atleast one of white and grey down, and the natural down clusters mayinclude 10-90% animal feather by weight, for example. The natural downclusters may have a fill power of 500 of more, alternatively 600 ormore, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively 800 or more. Fillpower is a measure of the loft or “fluffiness” of a down product thatmay be related to the insulating value of the down. The higher the fillpower the more air an ounce of the down can trap, and thus the moreinsulating ability an ounce of the down will have. For example, one (1)ounce of 500 fill power goose down will loft to 500 cubic inches. Thehigher the fill power the larger the down cluster. Larger down clusterswill loft higher; sleep softer, last longer and sleep warmer. Forexample, down insulation is made from goose or duck plumage; the lofty,fluffy stuff underneath the feathers. It is an undercoating, or anatural mid layer. Nature's best insulation, down creates high-loftclusters that trap air and body heat. The feathers on geese or ducks arethe outer covering of the bird. They have quills, repel water, and makeit possible for the animal to fly. Down lies beneath this protectivecovering, usually on the belly of a bird, and is light and fluffy. Itprovides the insulation birds need to keep warm.

According to one example embodiment, the down chosen preferably has morecling. “Cling” is found when tiny hooks develop on the filaments of adown cluster. As the age or maturity of the bird increases, the densityand cling increases as well. This is why the best down comes from mucholder birds. This is important so that the fibers are hooked to the downcluster more homogeneously and prevent separation. It also allows forless movement of the fibers within the textile product.

FIG. 4 illustrates two types of natural down clusters that may be usedin a textile product 100, according to one or more example embodimentsof the disclosure. On the left side is a 850 FP duck down cluster 120and on the right side is shown a 850 FP goose down cluster 140. Ifduring processing, down is “over washed” and too great a percentage offat and oil is removed, the down can dry out and become brittle, thusmaking it easier to break down, decreasing fill power.

Higher fill power down tends to come from older more mature birds, asdiscussed above. The longer a bird lives, the more developed the downcluster. Furthermore, to achieve a desired fill power, processors sortthrough feather, small down clusters, large down clusters, etc., to makedown of a certain content and fill power. FIG. 5 illustrates differenttypes of natural down clusters 220, 240 and down feather 260 that may beused in a textile product 100, according to one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. In this figure, a large cluster 220,small cluster 240, and down feather 260 are shown for illustrativepurposes only.

The current highest fill power for goose is approximately 1000 FP, butthis is available in extremely limited quantities (and usuallyprohibitively expensive). Comparatively, Eider duck down, thehighest-end most expensive down by an order of magnitude, has beenanecdotally rated up to 1200 FP. More common fill powers for duck andgoose down range from 450-850 FP. High-end duck down in 850 FP hasrecently become more accessible due to improvements in the sortingprocess that filters out additional fibers and small down clusters.

Both duck and goose down are available in white and mottled grey.Historically speaking, white colored down has been more desired in thebedding industry because most bedding fabric is white, and manufacturersprefer to hide the presence of down. Besides a visual difference, thereis no performance difference between white and grey colored down of thesame specification. FIG. 6, for example, illustrates grey 320 and whitecolor 340 natural down clusters that may be used in a textile product100, according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.

Duck and goose down can be equally efficient insulators when variablessuch as fill power, quality of fill, and processing are taken intoaccount. The quality of down is directly tied to everything from thefeed of the bird during its life, to the length of its life, to the washmethod used in processing. The natural down clusters used in the presentinvention have a fill power of 500 or higher, alternatively 600 orhigher, alternatively 700 or higher, alternatively 800 or higher, oralternatively 900 or higher. Because of its supreme warmth-to-weightratio and incredible compressibility, which makes it very easy to pack,down is considered the best of insulators. It remains lightweight andcompressible while holding the warmth.

FIGS. 7A-7F illustrate different types of fiber materials that may bemixed with the natural down clusters to form a textile product 100,according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 7A,for example, shows silk fibers 710 that may be mixed with the naturaldown clusters to form a textile product 100. FIG. 7B, for example, showswool fibers 720 that may be mixed with the natural down clusters to forma textile product 100. FIG. 7C, for example, shows rayon fibers 730 thatmay be mixed with the natural down clusters to form a textile product100. FIG. 7D, for example, shows cotton fibers 740 that may be mixedwith the natural down clusters to form a textile product 100. FIG. 7E,for example, shows polyester fibers 750 that may be mixed with thenatural down clusters to form a textile product 100. FIG. 7F, forexample, shows acrylic fibers 760 that may be mixed with the naturaldown clusters to form a textile product 100.

Textile product 100 may also include an outer fabric or shell to containthe mixture of the natural down clusters and the fiber material. Theouter fabric or shell may include down proof material as defined byInternational Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL). A down proofmaterial, for example, may be a fabric which resists the penetration ofthe natural down. The fabric may be closely woven to be downproof bynature or may be cired or coated to make it downproof. According to oneembodiment, the outer fabric or shell may include a fluid impermeablematerial.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing example steps involved in a method 800for manufacturing a textile product, according to one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. The method may include the steps ofdetermining a length of fiber material based on the diameter of naturaldown clusters in step 802. In step 804, the method may include cuttingthe fiber material to the predetermined length based on thedetermination in step 802. In step 806, the method may include addingnatural down clusters to the fiber material. In step 808, the method mayinclude mixing the fiber material with the natural down to form ahomogenous mixture, and in step 810, the method may include filling thetextile product with the homogenous mixture.

The method may also include opening the fiber material 710-760, addingnatural down clusters 120, 140, 320, 340 to the fiber material 710-760,mixing the fiber material 710-760 with the natural down clusters to forma homogeneous mixture, and filling the textile product 100 with thehomogeneous mixture. The specific gravity of the fiber material shouldpreferably be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural downclusters. The adding step may further include adding about 5-95% naturaldown clusters by weight to about 95-5% of the fiber material by weight.In some embodiments, the composition may preferably include 5-50%natural down clusters by weight and 95-50% fiber material by weight. Thefiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon,cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene. The textile product 100 may bea pillow, a comforter, a mattress pad, a jacket, or a sleeping bag. Thefiber material may include at least one of natural, synthetic, andregenerated fiber material. The synthetic fiber material may includerecycled fibers. The natural down clusters may include at least one ofwhite and grey down. The natural down clusters may include 10-90% animalfeather by weight, for example, and the natural down clusters may have afill power of 500 of more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700or more, or alternatively 800 or more.

The invention further contemplates utilizing synthetic fiber blends thatare not discussed above. These blend ranges limit average fiber diameterand length to ensure a high level of insulating performance. In someinstances, an average fiber diameter greater than that defined by thecited patents may be desirable. For example, relatively large diameterfibers may be utilized if the end product is a pillow or upholstery andcompressional stiffness is an important requirement.

Natural fibers or material considered to be within the scope of thepresent invention include but are not limited to wool, cotton, flax,animal hair, silk, down as well as other natural fibers or materials.However, in a preferred embodiment, the natural fibers are downclusters. Although down clusters are referred to herein, “down clusters”include down, natural down, down feathers, down clusters, and acombination thereof. The natural fibers or material can be treated toprovide water repellent properties. Several water repellent chemicalscan be used in this process, however, a particular polymer solution ofzirconium acetate, which can impart durable water repellant propertieswith no negative effect on fill power on the natural fiber or material,and no negative impact on the environment is the preferred chemical.

According to one embodiment, the natural down clusters (includingfeathers) may be provided with a water-repellant, bacterial-resistant,low friction cured zirconium acetate finish, such that the down clustershave faster dry time following washing and enhanced handle andresistance to clumping. More specifically, the down clusters havethereon a water-repellent, bacterial-resistant, low friction curedzirconium acetate finish. Different treatment processes can be used totreat down clusters with solution of zirconium acetate to impart waterrepellent properties and one such treatment is disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 4,537,594, for example, the entire contents of which is incorporatedherein by reference. The process involves applying to the down feathersan aqueous emulsion of a curable zirconium acetate, and curing saidpolymer. The emulsion can be applied by exhaustion, for example. Thefeathers are thoroughly cleansed prior to application of said copolymer,which can be accomplished by means of a water wash, followed by partialwater removal so as to leave a residual moisture content of 5 to 45%based on the weight of completely dry feathers. The copolymer can becured at 130 degrees to 170 degrees C.

Alternatively, the water repellent properties for down/natural fiberscan be imparted using different techniques which are not just limited towet bath or dry spraying processes. Various surface energy modificationtechniques, which are well known in the art such as plasma treatment,can also be employed to treat the down clusters for providing waterrepellent properties. Such treatments or processes are explained in U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,869,922, 5,262,208, 5,895,558, 6,416,633, 7,510,632,8,309,033, and 8,298,627, the entire contents of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The preferred short cut synthetic/man-made fibers can have a fiberdenier or linear density between 0.5 denier to 15 denier. However,fibers in excess of 15 denier can also be used in combination with thenatural down clusters of the present invention. The short cut fibers canhave a length ranging from 5 mm to 25 mm, and can be aerodynamicallyblended with the natural fibers to get homogeneous blend as describedabove. The preferred fiber balls made of synthetic/man-made fibers canhave a fiber denier or linear density between 0.5 denier to 15 denier,for example. Other preferred embodiments utilize fiber-blends comprisingwater repellant finished or lubricant finished fiber and/or dry fiberand/or binder fiber. For example, the short cut synthetic/man-madefibers of the present invention can be coated with any slickening agentor lubricant for providing water repellent properties. The syntheticfibers/man-made fibers used in this invention include but are notlimited to solid, hollow-type, as well as other cross-sectional shapeswith or without crimp. Fibers with binding agent on the outer shell mayalso be used for the instant synthetic/man-made fibers.

The material used to produce the short cut synthetic/man-made fibersused in the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,693,the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.According to one embodiment, the short cut synthetic/man-made fiberscomprise polyester fibers having an average dimension of 0.5 to 15denier and being coated with a slickener and crimped, the fibers beingcut to a length of 5-25 mm and opened. The polyester fibers could beobtained, for instance, by extruding polyester fibers as known in theart. An important aspect of the invention is that the polyester fibersneed to have a certain average dimension, i.e., a certaincross-sectional size and the extruded polyester fiber need to beslickened. This is obtained by coating the fibers with a slickener,preferably a silicone slickener, e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. No.3,454,422. The slickener makes the fibers easier to open and thusprovides for separating the fibers from each other. The fibers of thepresent invention may alternatively be slickened with other slickeningagents which may be advantageous in some applications, such as segmentedcopolymers of polyalkyleneoxide and other polymers, such as polyester,or polyethylene or polyalkylene polymers as is mentioned in U.S. Pat.No. 6,492,020 B1, with the weight percent of the slickener being fromabout 0.1 to about 1.2% per weight of the fibers.

To obtain the desired properties of the inventive material it isnecessary to provide the polyester fibers with a crimp. One example of asuitable crimp is the so called zig-zag crimp, also called mechanicalcrimp. This type of crimp, which is per se known, is obtained by passinga tow of extruded fibers through a narrow gap between two crimp rollers.Further examples of mechanical crimp methods are referred to in EP929700 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,020 B1. Another crimp type is thespiral crimp. A spiral crimp is, contrary to the two-dimensional zig-zagcrimp, three-dimensional. A spiral crimp could be obtained by, forexample, the methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,050,821, 3,118,012,EP 929700 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,020 B1. Preferably the crimpfrequency is adjusted so that each cut fiber, at the given cut length,is provided with at least one or two crimps. Further it will beappreciated that both solid and hollow fibers could be used as well asfibers of different cross-sections.

According to one embodiment, the short cut synthetic/man-made fibers canbe fully opened and blended with natural fibers or materials. Suchopening and blending process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,242,for example, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein byreference. The method can include the steps of obtaining natural downfeathers; washing the down in accordance with a predetermined washingprocess to produce prepared down; blending the prepared down with theshort cut synthetic/man-made fibers in accordance with a predeterminedblending process to produce the filling material. The blending step iscarried out by blending the prepared down at least 50% by weight shortcut synthetic/man-made fibers or fiber balls. The washing step iscarried out by the sub-steps of: (a) washing the down with hot soapywater; (b) rinsing the down with hot water; (c) rinsing the down withcold water; (d) treating the down clusters for water repellency; (e)drying the rinsed down; and (f) dedusting and cooling the dried down.The drying sub-step is carried out by drying 40 pounds of washed downfor substantially 20 minutes at a temperature of substantially 105degrees C. The dedusting and cooling sub-step can further includeinjecting ozone into the down, and can be carried out utilizing ascreened centrifuge.

The method for manufacturing the inventive material, according to oneembodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of:

(1) Treating the natural fibers or materials to provide water repellentproperties. During this process, the natural fibers or materials may beopened, cleaned, washed, and dried, if necessary. The treatment forwater repellency can be done in dry or wet conditions, although a wetprocess is the preferred method.

(2) Opening of short cut synthetic/man-made fibers and blending withnatural fibers or materials. The blending step can be carried out usingdry or wet process, although a dry process is the preferred method, inwhich down clusters are fed to a storage/mixing chamber using controlledair stream before which it hits an another air stream from oppositedirection carrying fully opened short cut fibers and thereby both downclusters and short cut fibers are homogenously blended. This process ofaerodynamic blending is preferred method of blending to achieve veryless breakage of down clusters and thereby achieving highest possiblefill power. For better results it is preferred to go for a batchquantity of at least 100 kg.

Textile product 100 may also include an outer fabric or shell to containthe mixture of the natural down clusters and the fiber material. Theouter fabric or shell may include down proof material as defined byInternational Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL). A down proofmaterial, for example, may be a fabric which resists the penetration ofthe natural down. The fabric may be closely woven to be downproof bynature or may be cired or coated to make it downproof. According to oneembodiment, the outer fabric or shell may include a fluid impermeablematerial.

EXAMPLES

Some of the advantages of the present textile product 100 includereduced cost of production when compared to 100% down products; fasterdrying rates (100% down products take a very long time to dry); betterfill power; and better breathability or improved Ret value. Natural downin its original form is incapable of efficiently repelling moisture. Infact, it loses many of its insulating properties when it gets wet and isoften slow to dry. For example, FIG. 9 is a table comparing physicalproperties such as fill power and drying rate of the materialcomposition according to one or more example embodiments of thedisclosure with known materials. As it can be seen from this table, theproduct with the combination of 50/50 White Duck Down (WDD) andPolyester (2) has the highest weight before washing, and a fill powerthat is comparable to 100% WDD (1) and the 50/50 combination of WDD andLyocell (5). However, after being washed, the product with thecombination of 50/50 WDD and Polyester (2) has the lowest water contentamong all samples, after spinning, after drying for 30 min, after dryingfor 50 min, or after drying for 70 min.

FIG. 10 is an example line graph comparing drying time (in minutes) of atextile product 1200 comprising 100% natural down vs. a textile product1000 comprising a homogenous mixture of 50/50 WDD and Polyester,according to one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. As itcan be seen from this figure, textile product 1000 dries significantlyfaster and returns to its original weight (before washing) much fasterwhen compared to textile product 1200 comprising 100% natural down.

The Specification, which includes the Summary, Brief Description of theDrawings and the Detailed Description, and the appended Claims refer toparticular features (including process or method steps) of thedisclosure. Those of skill in the art understand that the inventionincludes all possible combinations and uses of particular featuresdescribed in the Specification. Those of skill in the art understandthat the disclosure is not limited to or by the description ofembodiments given in the Specification.

Those of skill in the art also understand that the terminology used fordescribing particular embodiments does not limit the scope or breadth ofthe disclosure. In interpreting the Specification and appended Claims,all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible mannerconsistent with the context of each term. All technical and scientificterms used in the Specification and appended Claims have the samemeaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art towhich this invention belongs unless defined otherwise.

As used in the Specification and appended Claims, the singular forms“a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise. The verb “comprises” and its conjugatedforms should be interpreted as referring to elements, components orsteps in a non-exclusive manner. The referenced elements, components orsteps may be present, utilized or combined with other elements,components or steps not expressly referenced. “Optionally” and itsvarious forms means that the subsequently described event orcircumstance may or may not occur. The description includes instanceswhere the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does notoccur.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainimplementations could include, while other implementations do notinclude, certain features, elements, and/or operations. Thus, suchconditional language generally is not intended to imply that features,elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or moreimplementations or that one or more implementations necessarily includelogic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whetherthese features, elements, and/or operations are included or are to beperformed in any particular implementation.

The products and methods described herein, therefore, are well adaptedto carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned,as well as others inherent therein. While example embodiments of theproduct and method have been given for purposes of disclosure, numerouschanges exist in the details of procedures for accomplishing the desiredresults. These and other similar modifications may readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art, and are intended to beencompassed within the spirit of the system and method disclosed hereinand the scope of the appended claims.

1. A textile product comprising about 5-95% natural down clusters byweight and about 95-5% of a fiber material by weight.
 2. The textileproduct of claim 1, wherein the fiber material comprises at least one ofnatural, synthetic, and regenerated fiber material.
 3. The textileproduct of claim 2, wherein the fiber material comprises at least one ofpolyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene.4. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of thefiber material is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural downclusters.
 5. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the natural downclusters have cling or tiny hooks formed on filaments of the downclusters to form a homogenous mixture.
 6. The textile product of claim1, wherein the textile product is a pillow, a comforter, or a mattresspad.
 7. The textile product of claim 2, wherein the synthetic fibermaterial comprises recycled fibers.
 8. The textile product of claim 1,wherein the natural down clusters comprise at least one of white andgrey down.
 9. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the natural downclusters comprise 10-90% animal feather by weight.
 10. The textileproduct of claim 6, further comprising an outer fabric or shell tocontain the mixture of the natural down clusters and the fiber material,wherein the outer fabric or shell comprises down proof material asdefined by International Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL). 11.A method for manufacturing a textile product, the method comprising:opening a fiber material; adding natural down clusters to the fibermaterial; mixing the fiber material with the natural down clusters toform a homogeneous mixture; and filling the textile product with thehomogeneous mixture.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the specificgravity of the fiber material is within 45% of the specific gravity ofthe natural down clusters.
 13. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising the step of: cutting the fiber material to a predeterminedlength prior to mixing the fiber material with the natural downclusters, wherein the predetermined length is determined based on thediameter of the natural down clusters.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the adding step further comprises: adding about 5-95% naturaldown clusters by weight to about 95-5% of the fiber material by weight.15. The method of claim 11, wherein the specific gravity of the fibermaterial is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural downclusters.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the textile product is apillow, a comforter, or a mattress pad.
 17. The method of claim 11,wherein the fiber material comprises at least one of natural, synthetic,and regenerated fiber material.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thefiber material comprises at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon,cotton, acrylic fibers, and polyethylene.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein the synthetic fiber material comprises recycled fibers.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the natural down clusters comprise at leastone of white and grey down.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein thenatural down clusters comprise 10-90% animal feather by weight.
 22. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the natural down clusters have cling or tinyhooks formed on filaments of the down clusters to form the homogenousmixture.
 23. The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing anouter fabric or shell to contain the mixture of the natural downclusters and the fiber material, wherein the outer fabric or shellcomprises down proof material as defined by International Down andFeather Testing Laboratory (IDFL).
 24. A textile product comprisingabout 5-95% natural down clusters by weight and about 95-5% of a fibermaterial by weight, wherein the specific gravity of the secondary fibermaterial is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural downclusters, and wherein the fill power of the natural down clusters is atleast 500 or higher.